VIDEO/PHOTOS: Motorcyclists hit the road for eighth annual March of Dimes fundraiser

Motorcyclists hit the road for eighth annual March of Dimes fundraiser.

Video by Leslie Williams

NAPLES - The earth vibrates and jagged sound waves swarm the air.

From everywhere, it emanates, resembling the sound of a lion's roar melded with a buzzing chain saw.

Hundreds of bikers revved up Sunday morning at North Collier Regional Park before motoring en masse to Fort Myers, capping the eighth annual Bikers for Babies weekend benefitting the March of Dimes. The March of Dimes, founded in 1938 to beat polio, is dedicated to fighting infant illness and mortality.

"It's the only escorted ride from Naples to Fort Myers," said Norma Eveland, the executive director of Southwest Florida March of Dimes. "They go down around the beach, and there are just thousands of people lined up, and if you know bikers, you know they love to be seen."

After some arrived as early as 9 a.m. to register, the bikes began filling the parking lots and side streets at North Collier Regional Park, waiting their turns to hit the road for the 35-mile ride. At 11 a.m., with one simple phrase, hundreds of engines were cranked and the energy in the air became electric: "Start your engines."

Somewhere, from deep within the growl of metal and rubber, a biker responded, "My most favorite three words in the world."

Eveland, herself a biker, stood at the exit, waving, jumping up and down and shouting "Thank you" to bikes as they turned the corner to hit Livingston Road.

By car, she had to hustle up Interstate 75 to meet the procession where the event ended at the Harley-Davidson dealership in Fort Myers. The string of motorcycles, choppers and sport bikes stretched roughly 10 miles, from Livingston Road in Collier County, north along Bonita Beach Road, through Fort Myers Beach and into the heart of Fort Myers.

The two-wheeled parade was led by police escort, shutting down some portions of road along the route.

"In Fort Myers Beach, people used to be really upset about it taking place there," said Rick Gallo, the Florida revenue chair for March of Dimes. "Now, they throw a party, and for the hour the bikes go through there, they have a great time."

Registered bikes exceeded 1,400, with an estimated 2,000 people riding in the event. It rivals crowds drawn in the event's eight-year history, but organizers could not say Sunday how close they would be to their goal to raise $200,000 to $250,000, which would be in line with what the event has raised in past years.

"It's a lot more extra work, but it seems as though when things get like this, when the economy is down, people really step up to the plate," said Rick Gallo, the Florida revenue chair for March of Dimes.

The reason, said Eveland, is that beneath the leather, patches and grizzled beards lie some of the biggest hearts in Southwest Florida.

"I can't explain it," said Eveland. "It's so exciting, and they're such great people."

A biker who said he is known in the motorcycling world only as Cadillac said he was amazed to see so many people turn out for a good cause. He could not take part in the ride because of another commitment, but he paid the registration fee and stood on the roadside to wave at a friend, it seemed, every ten bikes or so.

"The economy's tough and so forth and so on," said Cadillac. "But bike people always seem to turn out for something that's worthwhile, especially when it's for the kids and babies."

Tuesdee Sharp, a motorcycle enthusiast herself, biked to North Collier Regional Park to check out the action. Sharp, who lives just around the corner, opted to take her bicycle this time, and watched with a wide grin as the never-ending line of bikers roared out of sight.

"It goes to show you that a lot of people think that people who ride motorcycles are really hard-core people," she said. "But, there are a lot of professionals, there are a lot of really nice, caring people who ride motorcycles."

Take Luke Szymanski, of Estero, and Wally Haryash, of North Port. Aside from taking advantage of a beautiful day for a ride, the two men said they were happy to combine one of their passions with a worthy cause.

"Anything for the babies," said Haryash. "Anything to help the babies."

That, and the bikes.

"Just the sound of everything" is worth it, said Szymanski. "The feeling, the vibration."